People in East Oakland rallied on Saturday against a controversial consolidation plan that would close some schools in the district.
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More than 100 families, teachers and community members rallied outside the former Roots International Academy campus in East Oakland before marching to the International Community School. The community is calling on the school board to reverse its decision to close and consolidate schools in Oakland.
Timothy Killings is a teacher whose school was spared from the list but he said he'd like to see a change from the top.
"I would like to see them resign if they can't keep our schools open, we are looking towards November," Killings said. "So, we are going to get them out those seats and this movement is not going to stop we are going to keep going for sure."
Cars honked to show support as the community held signs that read "Hands off our school." An indigenous group performed and said a prayer and speakers had strong words for the school board arguing the closures are disproportionally impacting predominately black and brown communities.
Yael Friedman is a school teacher, she believes the closures are due to years of financial mismanagement.
"I think we are prioritizing administration and office space a lot more than we are prioritizing our students," she told KCBS Radio.
Maria Priner teaches at a school facing closure, she hopes that the closure can at least be delayed.
"It seems as if it's being pushed by five board members and without any input from the community," she said.
Protesters said they are considering a recall effort against the school board.
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